The present invention relates to a child seat to be installed on a seat in a vehicle.
The child seat is formed of a seat portion on which buttocks of a child are put, and a back portion to which a back of the child leans. Generally, the seat portion and back portion are integrally formed together.
A conventional child seat has been fixed to a seat in a vehicle by a webbing of a seat belt device for an adult. In case the child seat is fixed to the seat by the webbing as described above, the webbing has to be pulled out to fix the child seat and passed through or hooked on predetermined portions. Thus, fixing of the child seat is troublesome. Also, since the child seat is bulky, it requires a great labor to carry the child seat into a cabin of the vehicle.
In European Patent Publication EP 841209A1, it is disclosed that a receiving portion formed of rods is provided on left and right sides of a seat in a car, and a child seat is detachably mounted on the receiving portion. The child seat includes two vertical members extending rearward, and distal ends of the vertical members are provided with engaging portions engaging the receiving portion. On the left and right sides of the child seat, arms are provided to rotate in the front and rear directions, and the arms abut against a seat back of the seat in the car to thereby prevent the child seat from being floated.
In EP 841209A1, since the child seat is integrally formed as a whole, its size and weight are large, so that a great labor is required for bringing the child seat in and out of the car and fixing the child seat to the seat.
In view of the above defects, the present invention has been made, and an object of the invention is to provide a child seat which can be extremely simply fixed to a seat in a vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a child seat as stated above, which can be easily carried.
A further object of the invention is to provide a child seat as stated above, wherein a child seat main portion can be fixed to a base only after the base is connected to the seat in the vehicle.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
A child seat of the present invention includes a child seat main portion having a seat portion on which buttocks of a child are put and a back portion to which a back of the child leans, and a base on which the child seat main portion is mounted. The base is provided with a connecting portion to be connected to the vehicle, and the child seat main portion is detachably mounted on the base. In order to fix the child seat main portion to the base, the base is provided with fixing members for fixing the child seat main portion to the base, and the child seat main portion is provided with an engaging member to engage the fixing member. The base or the child seat main portion is provided with an engagement releasing member for releasing the engagement. The base is provided with a device for allowing the child seat main portion to engage the base only after the base is connected to the vehicle.
In the child seat, after the base is fixed to the vehicle, the child seat main portion can be mounted on the base. By forming the base and the child seat main portion separately as described above, the base and child seat main portion can be easily carried in or out of a cabin in the vehicle, respectively.
Also, in case the base separated from the child seat main portion is mounted on the seat, since the base is not accompanied with the child seat main portion, the fixing operation of the base can be easily carried out.
Since the child seat of the present invention is provided with a device (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9callowable devicexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpermission memberxe2x80x9d ) for allowing the child seat main portion to be engaged with the base only when the base is securely connected to the seat in the vehicle, the child seat main portion is prevented from being connected to the base without fixing the base to the seat in the vehicle.
In the present invention, the fixing members are provided to a front portion and a back portion of the base, and the fixing member in the back portion is provided with an opening into which a flange provided at the rear portion of the child seat main portion is inserted. In an interior of the opening, an upright portion as the allowable device as mentioned above is provided to be moved vertically, and it is preferable to provide a link for allowing the flange to enter the opening by retreating, i.e. lowering, the upright portion upon a connecting operation of the base to the vehicle.
In this case, the base may be provided with arms projecting rearwards at the back side thereof. Each arm is provided with a hook at a distal end thereof for holding a clamping bar attached to the vehicle. It is preferable that the link allows the upright portion to be retreated, i.e., lowered in cooperation with the holding operation of the hooks.
It can be recognized at a glance that the upright portion is elevated, by coloring the upright portion with red or yellow color, so that the base can not be fixed, i.e. the flange can not be inserted into the opening.
Also, it may be observed with eyes by proving a letter, figure or symbol to the upright portion that the base can not be fixed, i.e. the flange can not be inserted into the opening.